Sen. Ted Cruz (R-TX) has faced criticism for his apparent suggestion that schools limit their number of doors as a way to prevent future shootings.
“Don’t have all of these unlocked back doors,” Cruz said during an appearance on Fox News this week. “Have one door into and out of the school and, at that one door, armed police officers at that door.”
TED CRUZ WON'T CANCEL NRA CONVENTION APPEARANCE AFTER UVALDE SHOOTING
The idea was met with ridicule from many on social media, some of whom, including Chasten Buttigieg, husband of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg, suggested the change would be ineffective.
As someone who ran lockdown drills and worked on the school safety committee, a "one door" solution is an irresponsible and egregious recommendation far removed from reality. A shooter isn't going to stop and sign in at the front office.
— Chasten Buttigieg (@Chasten) May 26, 2022
Others, such as Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer, noted that limiting the entrances to a school could pose a fire hazard.
Schumer knocks the idea of having only one entrance at schools, saying that fire marshals “vehemently disagree”
— Igor Bobic (@igorbobic) May 26, 2022
Many Democrats argued that discussing school security measures, such as fortified doors, prior to discussing gun control represents an abdication of duty. Democrats have worked to advance gun restrictions following a massacre at a Uvalde, Texas, elementary school this week that left 21 people dead.
Cruz was not the only Republican to advocate limiting the number of doors at a school. Texas Lt. Gov. Dan Patrick argued that doing so would give school officials more ability to control who can enter the building.
Some high schools in Texas have 5,000 students. One door sounds like a great idea, @tedcruz. Especially if there’s a fire. Let kids burn alive so you can keep your @NRA money. https://t.co/kMtQTKShQU
— Molly Knight (@molly_knight) May 26, 2022
That concept gained new salience Thursday afternoon, when Texas officials said during a press conference that the shooter in Uvalde accessed the school through an unlocked, unmonitored back door.
Supporters of Cruz’s suggestion noted that limiting accessible school doors is common in Israel, which has many guns but essentially no shootings at schools.
“Most schools maintain only one unlocked entrance that is typically staffed by an armed guard,” the Washington Post reported in 2018.
The debate over the "single entry doors" to schools is fascinating.
— Matt Whitlock (@mattdizwhitlock) May 26, 2022
A lot of things went wrong to allow this shooting, we should all be able to agree that a shooter being able to enter an unlocked back door is one worth at least discussing.
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The vast majority of public schools already strive to lock or monitor doors when children are in the classroom. Nearly 98% of elementary schools reported having "controlled access to buildings during school hours," according to the National Center for Education Statistics.
Still, other commentators argued the one-door policy is at least worth discussion — especially given the specifics of the case.
So to sum things up:
— Mark Hemingway (@Heminator) May 26, 2022
1) Strict firearm prohibitions in a country that has nearly 400 million guns is perfectly reasonable.
2) Asking schools to funnel all visitors through one set of doors is ridiculously impractical.
Got it.
It's easier to gain illegal access to a school than to a subway station. Maybe your Twitter dunk about having literally one door isn't as awesome as you think it is.
— Noam Blum (@neontaster) May 26, 2022